Changes coming to Te Puke's residential neighbourhoods

The way many of Te Puke's neighbourhoods look could be changing.

More intensive use of housing land, three-storey buildings and townhouses look set to be on the way for Te Puke.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is making changes to make it easier for the people of Te Puke to build the kind of houses the town needs.

A community conversation on the council's new online hub – Your Place - has been launched to understand what the Te Puke community most wants and needs in new housing.

The opportunity to work on Te Puke's housing supply was prompted by the Enabling Housing Supply Amendment Act, which provides the council and the Te Puke community with an opportunity to make the legislation work for Te Puke.

The council's senior policy analyst, Jodie Rickard, says the new law requires councils to replace local housing rules with new rules that allow people to build more homes and different kinds of homes. This new law applies to towns that don't have enough houses to meet demand, including Te Puke.

"This means that people who want to develop their land will be able to build homes that meet the new rules without needing a resource consent, allowing more homes to be built faster.

"You can add a unit to your backyard, build up three storeys and build townhouses – all without needing a resource consent. It will also be easier to subdivide land at the same time as completing a build.

"We're expecting to see an increase in properties with more than one home on them, more units in backyards and more redevelopment of properties where an existing house may be replaced with a number of new houses."

Benefits also include increased affordability, increased access to employment, transport, community facilities, less urban sprawl and easier multi-generational family living.

It means some of Te Puke's neighbourhoods might look a little different in a few years time.

''While the changes must happen, we need the community's input to shape and plan the specifics, such as where housing of four storeys or more could be developed, encouraging the particular kinds of housing we need more of such as many generations of whānau living together, and ensuring we grow and protect the things we love about Te Puke.''

The council wants to know what makes Te Puke a great place to live, what types of housing it needs most and the challenges of more houses and people.

"We need the Te Puke community to really get involved and share their ideas and experiences. These changes will affect the next decade of planning so it's really important we get this right," says Jodie.

All of Te Puke's current residential areas will be subject to the new changes.

There will be community conversation events at Te Puke Memorial Hall, on April 26 from 2pm-5pm and April 27 from 4pm-7pm or visit the council's website for more information on how to provide feedback.

Community feedback is open until midday Friday, April 29.